Burial casket vault



Nov, 10, 194,59 w. El. SHEENE, sR 2,911,703?

BURIAL GASKET VAULT Filed Feb. 2l, 1957 INVENTOR ylfl'l/l'afrl v E. 457722,757?

BW- v ATTORN United StatesA Patent O BURIAL CASKET VAULT William E. Sheene, Sr., Baltimore, Md., assignor to The National Asphalt Grave Vault Company, Baltimore, Md., a corporation of Maryland Application February 21, 1957, Serial No. 641,498

1 Claim. (Cl. 27-35) The present invention relates to an improvement in molded vaults for receiving burial caskets.

One object of the invention is to provide a moisture and air proof vault which is also resistant to any and all kinds of insects and other animals that spend part or all of their life span underground.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vault that will conform to any slight irregularity in the bottom of the grave without cracking or breaking.

A further object is to provide a semi-pliable, reenforcing frame structure that will give with the shape of the vault but still give support thereto.

The vault of the present invention is molded from a composition of asphalt, sand, limestone and natural rubber. Heretofore it was very necessary to have the bottom of the grave perfectly level and without any raised portions, otherwise the vault would rest on such a raised portion and with the weight of several tons of earth the vault would crack. The present composition and the structure of the reenforcements and its arrangement within the molded mass is to correct this situation.

The reenforcing structure, together with the vault, is illustrated in the several views of the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the vault and the top partly broken away to show the reenforcing elements.

Figure 2 is a perspective View of the reenforcing elements.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken at random through the bottom of the reenforcing element, and also showing a part of the end reenforcing element adjacent the bottom element.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the end members.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view showing parts of the side, end and bottom reenforcing elements.

In referring to the drawings, like numerals are used to indicate the same and similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

The vault is molded in a suitable type mold several of which are well-known in the art. The vault consists of side, end and bottom walls, 10, 11 and 12 respectively.

To support the walls, sides and bottom of the vault there are reenforcing elements designated by the numerals 13, 14 and 15 respectively. These are formed from a material of such structure that will allow them to twist to a limited degree without any appreciable stretching. The side reenforcing elements 13 are made with short corners 13' and 13" extending around and overlapping the end members 14. The bottom 15 is made with upturned edges 15 which extend upwardly around the edges of the sides and end members. These elements may be fastened together, or they may be allowed to be held in position by the composition from which the vault is made, or a solvent may be applied to the surfaces if the reenforcing elements are constructed from one of the well-known synthetic plastics, to bind the elements together without losing any of the semi-pliable characteristics.

The reenforcing elements are preferably constructed of exible sheet material which is provided with apertures. The iside elements are provided with apertures 20 along and over its side portions and apertures 20 on the turned-in end portions 13. The end elements are provided with apertures 21 and the bottom portion is provided with apertures 23 and the turned-up edges of the bottom are provided with apertures 22. The apertures 22 of the turned-up edges of the bottom are so placed as to register with the apertures 20 in the lower edges of the sides and apertures 21 of the lower edges of the ends. Likewise, the apertures 20 of the turned-in side portions 13 also register with the apertures 21 adjacent the sides of the end elements.

The composition comprises ingredients in substantially the following proportions by volume-viz.: Approximately sixteen (16) percent asphalt, thirty-four (34) percent limestone dust, fullers earth, or infusorial earth, forty (40) percent sand or grit, and ten (10) percent natural rubber. To this mixture there may be added approximately one-twentieth (1750) of the volume, an asphalt ux. The composition is viscous when initially mixed and under heat, and in this state it extends through the many apertures in the bottom, sides and ends of the reenforcing element including those apertures of the bottom, side and end elements that are in registration with each other, and when cooled anchors the reenforcing elements in position.

The ingredients are heated and thoroughly mixed. It is important that the rubber be evenly distributed throughout every portion of the mix in order to give the composition resilient and elastic characteristics.

It is understood that the cover 16 for the vault is constructed of the same materials and is provided with a similar type reenforcing element as is used in reenforcing the bottom. In practice the same pattern may be used. The top is provided with a recess (not shown) about its lower edge and adapted to lit over a bead 17 on the upper edges of the side and end walls. When the cover is placed on the vault the same composition is poured along the outer edges of the cover and an extending edge 18 to substantially seal the vault against both air and moisture.

By placing a small percentage of natural rubber in the mixture, the vault will not crack when forced to conform to an uneven bottom that may occur in a grave which would allow water and small animal life to enter the vault and destroy thecasket and its contents.

While a specic composition and structure have been recited herein, it is not intended in any manner as a limitation and the scope of the invention is best defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

A moisture proof resilient grave vault having four vertical walls, a bottom and a removable top comprising a semi-plastic material reinforced by a exible sheet provided with vertically and horizontally parallel rows of apertures therein in each of said four vertical walls, the bottom and the top, each sheet being disposed centrally of said semi-plastic material and parallel to the outer surfaces thereof, the corners between said vertical walls each being further reinforced by a right angle bend in one of said flexible sheets so as to provide an overlap with the adjacent iiexible sheet to an extent that at least one vertical row of apertures in each sheet coincide, the juncture between said vertical walls and the bottom being likewise further reinforced by an overlap between the sheet in each wall and the sheet in the bottom, said overlap being of sufficient extent that at least one row of apertures in said overlapping sheet portions coincide, said semi-plastic material extending through the apertures including said coinciding apertures, whereby the portion in 3 the Alatter serves to lck said four vertical walls and said 668,013 bottom against separation. 1,013,592 1,560,106 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS No 27,128 41,284 Denton Jan. 19, 1864 0f 1913 4 Loresch Feb. 12, 1901 Edwards Jan. 2, 1912 Sheene Nov. 3, 1925 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain June 11, 1914 

